1
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2
This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a
Teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is
with Him.” 3 Jesus answered him (Nicodemus), “Truly, truly, I say to
you, unless one is born again[1]
he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him (Jesus),
“How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his
mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say
to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom
of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which
is born of the Spirit[2]
is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You[3]
must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear
its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So, it is
with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9
Nicodemus said to Him (Jesus), “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus
answered him (Nicodemus), “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not
understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you We speak of
what We know, and bear witness to what We have seen, but you do not receive Our
testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not
believe how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one
has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.[4]
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the
Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him may have
eternal life.[5]
John 3:1-15, English Standard Version
I.
Overview
The
new birth is one of the key topics in John 3. The Gospel writer John pursued
his aim of showing the surpassing excellence of Jesus as “the Christ, the Son
of God” and that through Him, we can have new birth that leads to abundant life.[1] In
chapter 3, John discussed a secret meeting only found in his Gospel with Jesus
and a Pharisee named Nicodemus. In this private meeting, John brings out the
meaning of life from above through faith in Jesus.[2] Jesus
challenged Nicodemus and everyone today with the need to be born again through
Him if one wishes to receive real life and enter the Kingdom of God.
II.
Introduction
A.
Author and Title
The
author of John’s Gospel is identified in the book only as “the disciple whom
Jesus loved.”[3]
The title says that John wrote this Gospel. Other evidence identifies this John
as the son of Zebedee.[4]
The Gospel's internal evidence indicates the author was an eyewitness of Jesus’
public ministry and one of Jesus’ Twelve apostles.[5] The
author was a personal eyewitness of Jesus’ miraculous deeds and glory in
first-century Palestine.[6]
This
Gospel reveals the author was a Palestinian Jew, for he wrote and interpreted
Jewish customs, words, and rituals for his readers.[7] Moreover,
the Gospel illustrates the author witnessed Jesus’ life, actions, and works as
he saw and touched Jesus’ hands.[8]
Even more, this author was part of Jesus’ “inner circle.”[9]
The
external evidence from the early church fathers such as Irenaeus supports the
Apostle John was the author of this Gospel.[10]
Moreover, Clement of Alexandria stated, “Last of all, John perceiving that the
eternal facts had been made plain … composed a spiritual gospel”.[11]
Thus, most biblical scholars believe the Gospel of John was written by Apostle
John, the son of Zebedee.[12]
Many
biblical scholars believe the most likely date of this Gospel's writing was AD
70 and AD 100.[13]
A date after AD 70 is suggested, among other things, because of the reference
in John 21:19 to Peter’s martyrdom (probably between AD 64 and AD 66) and the
lack of references to the Sadducees (who ceased to be a Jewish religious party
after AD 70 with the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple).[14]
The
most likely place of writing this Gospel was Ephesus in Asia Minor (modern-day
Turkey).[15]
There
is a strong connection between John’s Gospel to Ephesus.[16]
However, the events of John’s Gospel take place in Palestine. Palestine was
incorporated into the Roman Empire in 63 BC.[17]
C. Purpose,
Occasion, and Background
The
theme of John’s Gospel is that Jesus is the promised Messiah (Christ) and Son
of God, and by believing in Jesus Christ, people can have eternal life.[18]
John wrote his Gospel with an evangelist intent so everyone would come to Jesus,
who is the Savior of the world.[19]
The central claim of John’s Gospel was that by believing in Jesus as the Son of
God and Messiah, one would receive the abundant life of the Kingdom of God now
and for all eternity.[20]
Many
biblical scholars believe that John’s original audience consisted of Jews and
Gentiles (non-Jews) living in the larger Greco-Roman world in Ephesus.[21]
John’s Gospel frequently explained Jewish customs and Palestinian geography and
translated Aramaic terms into Greek, thus showing non-Jewish readers' awareness.[22]
Significantly,
the author also presented Jesus as the Word becoming flesh against the backdrop
of Greek thought that included Stoicism and early Gnosticism.[23]
John’s use of the word “Logos” had special meaning for Jewish and Greek
(Gentile) readers of his Gospel message.[24] In
Greek philosophy, the “word” or “logos” was a key term, often referring to the
power of reason and logic that undergirds all creation. For Jewish readers, the
“Word” had great meaning for God spoke His word to create the world and
transformed His people such as Genesis 1:1-3. Nevertheless, John’s meaning
passed beyond the Greek and Jewish ideas of Logos. Jesus, as the Word of God or
Logos, means Jesus is all God wanted to say to all humankind.[25]
The
Word (Logos) is a title for Jesus as the Communicator and Revealer of the true
and living LORD God of heaven and earth – Jesus’s Father.[26]
Moreover,
John also shows his Jewish readers' awareness as he demonstrated Jesus as the
long-awaited Jewish Messiah and fulfillment of many Old Testament themes.[27]
Even more, John presents Jesus as the Son of God, who was sent from God the
Father to reveal the only true God and to provide redemption for humanity.[28]
To this end, John provided evidence of seven Messianic signs performed by Jesus
and a series of witnesses to Jesus – including the Holy Scriptures, John the
Baptist, and God the Father.[29]
Finally, John sought to present Jesus as the new Temple of God and the center
of worship for God’s people.[30]
This concept would have been especially important to John’s Jewish readers if
John’s Gospel was written after AD 70 (the time of the destruction of the
Jerusalem Temple).
John
wanted to emphasize his Jewish and Greco-Roman readers that Jesus was God in
human flesh (or incarnate).[31]
Jesus has made God known and interpreted or exegeted God by revealing the
meaning of God.[32]
The clearest picture of God is not the Law of Moses, not the Temple, nor the
created order of nature, but only in Jesus Christ.[33]
Furthermore,
John wrote his Gospel to prove that Jesus is the Messianic King predicted by
the Old Testament.[34]
More than any other Gospel, John emphasized that Jesus is King.[35]
Finally,
John wrote his Gospel to prove that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament.[36]
John’s
Gospel uses Old Testament allusions, imagery, or echoes, particularly in the
Book of Signs, to prove Jesus fulfills the Old Testament.[37] The
Gospel writer John presented Jesus as the Great “I AM” – Yahweh, who had come
from His Heavenly Father.[38]
D. Outline
This
Gospel is divided or organized into four sections. The first section of John’s
Gospel is the Prologue. John’s Prologue is found at John 1 verses 1 through 18.
In the Prologue, John sets the background for Jesus and His public ministry.
Next, John gives a long transitional section between the end of the Prologue at
verse 18 and the Book of Signs that begins in chapter 2. This long transitional
section includes verses 19 through 51. These transitional verses center around
John the Baptist. John gives more details about John the Baptist that are not
included in the Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Next,
chapter 2 of John’s Gospel officially starts the Book of Signs and Jesus’
public ministry in Galilee. The Book of Signs goes from John 2:1 through John
12:50. This section is often called the Book of Signs because of the seven
miraculous signs Jesus performed. [39] Jesus
did more than seven miracles.[40] John’s Gospel
does not build Jesus’ ministry around His teaching and parables like the other
Gospels. However, John identified seven miraculous signs of
Jesus to reveal Jesus’ identity and glory as the Christ and Son of God.[41]
In the Book of Signs, John revealed through Jesus’ miraculous signs how Jesus
fulfilled the Old Testament and the intent of Judaism. The seven miracles were
as follows:
- John 2:1-11
where Jesus turned water to wine
- John
4:46-54 when Jesus healed the royal official’s son
- John 5:1-15
when Jesus healed the diseased man at Bethesda
- John 6:1-15
where Jesus fed the 5,000
- John
6:16-21 Jesus walked on the water
- John 9:1-41
Jesus gave sight to the blind man
- John
11:1-44 where Jesus raised Lazarus from complete death
Some
biblical scholars include Jesus’ large catch of fish at John 21:1 through 14 as
Jesus’ eighth and final miracle.
Starting
in chapter 13 of John’s Gospel, John records Jesus’ Passion story with His
trial, execution, and resurrection. Significantly, John’s Passion story from
chapters 18 through 20 are mostly the same storyline given in the Synoptic
Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke.[42]
However, John begins Jesus’ Passion story in chapters 13 through 17 with Jesus’
Upper Room speech (discourse) to His disciples. In the Upper Room, Jesus taught
His closest disciples, who have accepted and believed in Him as their Lord and
Savior, and this discourse has no parallels in the Synoptic Gospels.[43]
The
final section of John’s Gospel is the Epilogue found in chapter 21. In chapter
21, the Resurrected Jesus meets His disciples in Galilee, like the Synoptic
Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke. However, in chapter 21 of John’s Gospel,
Jesus feeds His disciples and instructs Peter also to feed and care for His
sheep and lambs.
A. Prologue: John 1:1-18
B. Book of
Signs: John 1:19 through John 12:50
C. Book of
Passion: John 13 through 20
i.
John
13 through 17 is Jesus’ teaching His disciples in the Upper Room (Upper Room
Discourse)
ii.
John
18 through 20 is Jesus’s trial, execution, and resurrection
D. Epilogue
Some
biblical scholars argue that the outline of John’s content is given in John’s
Prologue at John 1:11-12.[44]
John’s Prologue at verse 11 summarizes Jesus’ public ministry and the Book of
Signs. At John 1:11, Jesus came to His people – the Jews; however, many Jews
willfully rejected Jesus.[45]
In the Book of Signs, Jesus repeatedly presented Himself to His own people as
their Jewish Messiah that came from God that fulfilled the Old Testament.[46] Then
at verse 12 of John’s Prologue, everyone who believed in Jesus as the Messiah
and the Son of God from heaven became God's children.[47] Essentially,
John 1:12 summarizes the Book of Passion found in chapters 13 through 20,
particularly 13 through 17. In chapters 13 through 17, Jesus is teaching His
disciples that accepted Him as the Son of God and the long-awaited Messiah.[48]
III.
Jesus Teaching Nicodemus the Pharisee
In chapter 3,
Jesus taught Nicodemus truths about life and entrance into His Father’s
Kingdom. Jesus fulfilled three different roles in chapter 3:
·
Teacher (John 3:1-21)
·
Bridegroom (John 3:22-30)
·
Witness (John 3:31-36).[49]
Previously in chapter 2, Jesus performed
many miracles in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration.[50] Because
of these miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration,
many began to follow Him and believe in His Name.[51] Possibly,
Jesus’ miraculous deeds in Jerusalem caught the attention of Nicodemus and
other Pharisees in Jerusalem, and they wanted to learn more about Him.[52]
In the opening
verses of chapter 3, John introduces Nicodemus and his encounter with Jesus. Only
John’s Gospel teaches about the story of Nicodemus.[53] The
story of Nicodemus is not included in the Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and
Luke.[54]
The rabbinic writings refer to two different men by that name, one generation
on either side of Jesus' life.[55]
They were listed as part of the Gurion family and were wealthy, powerful,
Pharisaic teachers — just like Nicodemus’s character described in chapter 3 of
John’s Gospel.[56]
John described
Nicodemus as a prominent leader among the Jews and a
respected Jewish teacher.[57] Nicodemus
was saturated in religious knowledge, and he was well educated in Jewish law.[58] Other
than chapter 3, John mentioned Nicodemus two more times in his Gospel.
Nicodemus is referenced in chapter 7 when he confronted some fellow Pharisees
who were criticizing Jesus.[59] Later,
Nicodemus is discussed in chapter 19 when he and Joseph of Arimathea asked
Pilate for Jesus’ body to give Jesus a proper Jewish burial after His death at
Calvary.[60]
From these verses, some scholars believe Nicodemus became a convert of Jesus.[61]
Nicodemus was a
ruling member of the Pharisees, and the Pharisees often violently opposed Jesus.[62] Pharisees
were a religious sect of Judaism that followed God’s written Law (also known as
the Torah) and the oral traditions (also known as the elders’ traditions).[63]
The phrase, “ruler of the Jews,” meant that Nicodemus was a member of the
Jewish body called the Sanhedrin.[64] The Sanhedrin was
the highest Jewish law court in the first-century. Nicodemus stands as the
representative of the old religion.[65]
Nicodemus took
the initiative and came to Jesus by night.[66] Some
people have argued about Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night. Perhaps Nicodemus
coming at night probably meant Nicodemus worked during the day as most
Pharisees, and then he studied at night the Torah – the oral and written Law.[67] Thus,
the night was the time most Pharisees and rabbis searched for the truth.[68]
Possibly, Nicodemus came to Jesus at night because of fear. As mentioned earlier,
Nicodemus was a ruling member of the Pharisees, a group that often violently
opposed Jesus.[69]
He likely risked danger by meeting with Jesus during the daylight.[70]
Possibly, Nicodemus simply wanted uninterrupted time with Jesus.[71]
Unlike other many encounters with Pharisees in the Gospels, Nicodemus was a
sincere seeker of the truth, and he sought out after Jesus.[72]
Other scholars
have noted that Nicodemus was a secret follower of Jesus.[73]
John’s Gospel revealed that many Jews, including Jewish leaders, secretly
followed Jesus as His disciple during His time on earth.[74] These
secret followers or undercover believers of Jesus were known as
crypto-Christians.[75]
However, these secret followers refused to publicly acknowledge Jesus as their
Messiah for fear of ex-communication and rejection from the Jewish synagogue,
their families, and fellow Jews.[76]
IV.
Power and Authority of Jesus
Upon meeting
Jesus at night, Nicodemus greeted Jesus with respect and called Him “Rabbi,”
which means Teacher.[77]
Nicodemus said to Jesus that he and other Jews knew He was a Teacher sent straight
from God.[78]
Nicodemus confessed to Jesus that he and other Jews knew He came from God, for
no one could do His miraculous signs unless God was with him.[79] During
His public ministry, Jesus did many God-pointing and God-revealing acts that
evidenced the living LORD God and His Kingdom were with Him.[80]
The fact that
Nicodemus used the plural pronoun “we” at verse 2, and Jesus responded with the
plural “you” at verse 7 may indicate that Nicodemus was representing the
religious leaders when he secretly met Jesus at night.[81] In this
verse, John revealed Nicodemus not as an enemy of Jesus but a seeker of Jesus.[82]
In first-century
Palestine, Jesus was called Rabbi or Teacher by many people, including
Nicodemus.[83]
During His public ministry, Jesus taught with authority and power, unlike any
other teacher, because Jesus spoke and taught God’s Words because He was God.[84] Moreover,
Jesus acknowledged He was Lord and Teacher as called by His disciples.[85] Indeed,
Jesus is Lord and Teacher of all.[86]
In his Gospel,
John used the word “signs” to reveal Jesus’ identity and glory as the Messiah
and Son of God incarnate – human flesh.[87] Jesus’
miraculous signs proclaimed His nature, character, and purpose in the world.[88] Even
more important, Jesus’ miraculous signs revealed the nature of the Kingdom that
Jesus had come to usher into the world.[89]
The Gospels use
three words to describe Jesus’ miraculous deeds. In the Synoptic Gospels –
Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the Greek word dunamis or “power” is used to
describe Jesus’ miraculous deeds and works. These miraculous deeds led people
in the first century to conclude that God must be at work in Jesus.[90] In the
Gospel of John, this Gospel does not use the Greek term dunamis.
Instead, John’s labels Jesus’ miraculous works as “signs.”[91] As
mentioned earlier, John selectively recorded seven miraculous signs that
occurred during Jesus’ public ministry on earth.[92] Jesus’
miraculous signs in John’s Gospel was usually matched to a long discourse from
Jesus.[93] For
example, Jesus fed the 5,000 not just to meet their physical needs, but so that
the people would see Him as the Bread of Life given from heaven to have real
and lasting spiritual life in Him.[94]
Truly, Jesus was
anointed by His Father – the living LORD God of heaven and earth – with the
Holy Spirit and power without measure.[95] Jesus
went around doing good and healing everyone who was under the devil’s control
because His Father and the Holy Spirit's power were with Him.[96] Jesus
and His Father are One.[97] During
His time on earth, Jesus did many miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did
through Him.[98]
V.
Born Again for the Kingdom
After Nicodemus’s
introduction and courteous exchange, Jesus plunges
immediately into the heart of the subject with all the intensity.[99] In
one sentence, Jesus sweeps away Nicodemus’ old religion and demands that he be
remade by the power of God – the Holy Spirit.[100] Jesus
taught the Jewish teacher and ruler Nicodemus that no one could enter nor see
the Kingdom of God unless one is born again.[101]
In the Greek text, the phrase “born again” can also be translated “born from
above.”[102]
Some scholars have argued that Jesus could not have said, “You must be born
again,” because this relied on a play on words between “born again” and “born
from above” that works only in Greek, not in Aramaic, the language the Jesus
spoke.[103]
But
whichever phrase Jesus used, He clearly was talking about a second birth after
a person'’ first, biological birth.[104]
Jesus
challenged Nicodemus with the need to be born again if he wished to be in the
Kingdom of God.[105] The
new birth, or regeneration, is an act of God from above by the Holy Spirit that
gives new spiritual life to the one who believes in His Son, Jesus.[106] Anyone
who would enter God’s Kingdom must be born in a radically new fashion. This
second birth is from heaven above through faith and obedience to Jesus.[107] To
experience a spiritual rebirth, a person must be completely renewed through
God’s power – His Holy Spirit.[108]
Nicodemus
stated to Jesus how an older adult could go back into his mother’s womb and be
born again.[109]
Then, Jesus replied again to Nicodemus with an intensity that unless one is
born of water and the Spirit, no one can enter the Kingdom of God.[110]
Jesus’
statement “born of water and the Spirit” has caused various interpretations of
the meaning.[111]
Some have argued Jesus is referring to baptism as a requirement for salvation.[112]
However, this would contradict many other New Testament passages such as
Ephesians 2:8-9 that says our salvation comes by faith alone in Jesus and not
by works. The Holy Scriptures clearly state our
sins are washed away by calling on the Name of the LORD.[113]
Still, others have argued that Jesus’ statement stands for the act of
repentance that John the Baptizer’s baptism signified or possible natural birth
when the amniotic sac breaks before labor and the second time by the Spirit.[114]
One truth is clear: the new birth is from God by His grace through the Spirit
and not by human efforts nor merits.[115]
The whole thrust of the passage places emphasis on the activity of the Holy Spirit.[116]
No one can come to God and enter His Kingdom by one’s strength or righteous but
only by faith in God’s Son Jesus.[117]
Jesus, who is from heaven, is our stairway to heaven.[118]
Notably,
Jesus informed Nicodemus that humans could only reproduce human life, but the
Spirit gives new life from heaven.[119]
The Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life from heaven.[120]
Jesus assured Nicodemus that He and His teaching came from His Heavenly Father,
and He and His teaching were filled with the Spirit and life.[121]
Through faith in Him, Jesus proclaimed that one could receive life and baptism
by the Holy Spirit.[122] Jesus
is our life-giving Spirit, and He gives abundant life now and for all eternity to
all who believe and obey Him.[123] Again,
Jesus informed Nicodemus you must be born again or from above.[124]
In
the opening verses of his Gospel, John declared that everyone who accepts and
believes in Jesus is reborn — not a physical rebirth resulting from human flesh
or human passion — but a new life and birth from God alone – spiritual rebirth
from heaven.[125]
Through faith and obedience to Jesus, the living God gives
everyone the privilege and power to become His children in His Kingdom and be
made right in His sight.[126] Everyone
who accepts Jesus and believes in His Name as Lord and Savior receive new life
from above, spiritual power, and the right to become God’s eternal children.[127] Even
more, everyone who believes and obeys Jesus receives a washing of rebirth and
renewal by the Holy Spirit.[128]
By His Holy Spirit, the living LORD God renews a person’s heart, washes away
their sins and impurities, and creates a new spirit inside a believer of Jesus to
empower believers to obey God’s commands.[129]
Believing
in Jesus occupies a central place in John’s Gospel.[130]
For John, believing in Jesus meant a continual commitment and obedience to
Jesus and His teaching from His Father – the living LORD God.[131] Some
biblical scholars have noted that Jesus’ teaching in His Upper Room Discourse
found in chapters 13 through 17 is similar to Moses’ teaching of obedience to
God in the book of Deuteronomy.[132]
For that and other reasons, including Jesus’ teaching at the Sermon on the
Mount, some biblical scholars called Jesus the “new Moses.”[133]
John’s Gospel
does not teach much about the Kingdom of God as the Synoptic Gospels – Matthew,
Mark, and Luke.[134]
The Kingdom of God is the centerpiece of Jesus’ teaching in the Synoptic
Gospels. John rarely uses the Kingdom of God in his Gospel.[135] The
Kingdom of God means God’s rule and reign in the entire world and not just the
church realm.[136]
Jesus is the
clearest expression of the rule and reign of God. John’s Gospel
emphasized the present reality of God’s Kingdom by the activity of God’s Spirit
through faith and obedience in Jesus.[137] The
Spirit gives new life and empowers believers to live now in the present world
and the coming age through continual faith and obedience to Jesus.[138]
Next,
Jesus taught Nicodemus that just as one can hear the wind but cannot tell where
the winds come from or where it will go next, so it is with the Spirit.[139]
The Greek word pneuma means both wind and spirit.[140]
Jesus explained to Nicodemus no one controls nor knows on who the Spirit will
next give new spiritual life and become reborn from heaven.[141] Like
the wind, no one can contain or control the Holy Spirit’s work because
spiritual renewal and rebirth from heaven above are gifts from God through His
Holy Spirit.[142]
Jesus’
teaching confused Nicodemus. Although Nicodemus was a respected Jewish teacher
and a Pharisee, he did not understand Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom of God and
spiritual rebirth from heaven.[143]
Nicodemus was schooled in the Old Testament Scriptures; however, he neglected
God’s teaching from the Old Testament of a coming spiritual renewal and rebirth
from heaven by the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel.[144]
Then,
Jesus taught Nicodemus that He and His Father – the living LORD God of heaven
and earth speak and bear witness to heavenly knowledge.[145]
However, Jesus said that Nicodemus and others have rejected and do not believe
Him and His Father’s testimony and teaching.[146]
Jesus’ teaching and testimony came from His Father, the living LORD God of
heaven and earth.[147]
The living LORD God sent His Son Jesus from heaven to earth to dwell (tabernacle)
and live amongst His creation – humans.[148] Jesus
is God the Father’s gift to the world, and He gives everyone who believes in
Him to be saved and find healing and life.[149]
Moreover,
Jesus proclaimed to Nicodemus that no one has ever gone up into the presence of
God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man.[150]
Son of Man was Jesus’ favorite title for Himself.[151] The
Son of Man descended from heaven.[152] Jesus
descended or came down from His Heavenly Father – the living LORD God – to bring
life to everyone who look to Him.[153]
The
author of Hebrews teaches that Jesus is our Great High Priest and the Son of
the living God who not only descended but ascended into heaven.[154] Jesus
returned to heaven and appeared for His disciples in His Father’s Presence.[155]
Through faith in Jesus, believers can approach
the living LORD God’s throne of grace with confidence and receive mercy and grace
to help us in our time of need.[156]
Truly, Jesus is God’s grace.[157]
VI.
Son of Man’s Lifting Up
Most
important, Jesus informed Nicodemus that as Moses in the wilderness lifted up
the bronze image of a serpent on a pole, even so, He must be lifted up so that
everyone who looks to and believes in Him will have a life now and for eternity.[158] The
Gospel writer John makes clear: Everyone who believes and looks up to Jesus,
trusting and expectant, will gain real life and peace now and for eternity.[159] However,
everyone who rejects and does not trust and obey God’s Son Jesus shall not see
life, but receive God’s wrath that will remains and abides on one’ life.[160] In
other words, God’s wrath and condemnation remains on everyone that rejects God’s
Son, Jesus!
In
teaching Nicodemus, Jesus recalled Old Testament history where fiery serpents
bit the ancient Israelites in the wilderness because of their grumbling and
disobedience against God and his servant Moses at Numbers 21:5-9.[161] Jesus’
statement at John 3:14-15 referencing Numbers 21:5-9 illustrated His own person
and work.[162]
Through the uplifted snake by Moses and now through Jesus, the living LORD God
provides a way of escape that requires faith alone from the people.[163] Just
as the bronze snake was “lifted up” to save the people, Jesus declared that He
would be lifted up upon the Cross at Calvary to provide God’s saving grace,
spiritual rebirth, and healing to all people – Greeks (non-Jews) and Jews – through
faith in Him.[164]
During His public ministry, Jesus proclaimed that He would become the kernel of
wheat that, when planted and died, would produce life, healing, and salvation to
everyone who believes and accepts Him as Lord and Savior.[165]
During
Jesus’ final week on earth, Jesus entered Jerusalem as the long-awaited
Messiah-King of the Jews.[166] More
than any other Gospel, John emphasized that Jesus is King.[167] Then, the crowd responded by pulling down palm branches because they
saw Jesus as the Messiah and shouted Hosanna, which means “God saves us” in
Hebrew.[168]
Significantly, Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem as the Jews’
long-awaited Messiah-King was Jesus’ hour of glorification.[169]
Jesus’ hour of glorification is paradoxical because His glorification meant His
death and greatest humiliation on Calvary’s Cross for the sins of the world as
the Passover Lamb of God.[170] To
the outward eye, Jesus’ death on Calvary’s Cross was the uttermost humiliation
and shame with criminals.[171]
To the eye of faith, Jesus’ death on Calvary’s Cross was His supreme glory as
Savior and King.[172]
Next,
Jesus informed Nicodemus that His Heavenly Father – the living LORD God of
heaven and earth – so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son into
the world so that everyone can gain a real life – whole and lasting life now
and for eternity – by believing in Him.[173] The
living LORD God showed His great love for the world by sending His Son into the
world as the Passover Lamb of God that we might live through Him by faith.[174] John
explains that the living LORD God revealed His love for all people of the world
by the gift of His Son Jesus.[175]
As
stated earlier, the Gospel writer John makes clear that everyone who continually
believes and obeys Jesus as God’s Son and Messiah have life, and no one can
take that life away.[176] In
fact, Jesus declared to His disciples that God's work is to believe and obey
Him as the One sent from God.[177]
Jesus
is the life, and He is the only way into God’s Kingdom.[178] The
purpose of Jesus’ coming into the world was His death as the Passover Lamb so
we can receive a real, abundant, and whole life through Him.[179] For
as God the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted His Son Jesus to have
life in Himself.[180] Like
His Father, Jesus gives life and healing because He is the Author and Savior of
Life.[181]
Through faith in Him, Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit upon His disciples so they
can have new spiritual life.[182]
Moreover,
Jesus revealed Himself to Nicodemus as the Son of Man.[183]
Son of Man was Jesus’ favorite title for Himself that only He used.[184] One
reason Jesus preferred this title Son of Man because Son of Man was not an
inflaming title such as “Christ” or “Messiah” in first-century Palestine. The
background for Son of Man is found at Daniel 7:13-14, where an exalted
Messianic Figure comes from the glory clouds of heaven and is given glory and
power from Ancient of Days sitting on the Throne.[185] In
all four Gospels, Jesus used “Son of Man” to connect the Warrior Figure in
Jewish apocalyptic literature with the Suffering Servant from Isaiah 53.[186]
Interestingly, in chapter 10, Jesus proclaimed to His disciples that
He is the Good Shepherd who willingly laid down His life for the sheep.[187] Jesus
purposely laid down His life for the sheep so that others can find life through
continual faith and obedience to Him.[188]
The evil one and his evil minions are hirelings that only come to kill, steal,
and destroy.[189] Jesus declared He came
to earth to give everyone through faith in Him abundant life.[190]
In John's Gospel, abundant life is equivalent to eternal life.[191] The
Gospel of John describes eternal life not only as life beyond the grave but a qualitative
and quantitative dimension to life that is present here and now and for all
eternity through our faith and obedience to Jesus.[192] Faith
in Jesus brings one whole and lasting life.[193] The
living LORD God gave His Son Jesus to correct and remove evil created by the
Great Fall of Genesis 3 with Adam and Eve.[194]
Everyone who accepts and believes in Jesus no longer has God’s condemnation and
wrath.[195]
Nevertheless, everyone who rejects God’s gift of grace, salvation, and
life found only in His Son Jesus will receive death and condemnation.[196]
In fact, everyone who rejects Jesus is already under the death sentence and
lives in darkness, wrath, and condemnation.[197] Jesus
came into the world to bring God’s salvation to all people through faith in
Him.[198]
But the very fact of salvation for all who believe in Jesus also means God’s
condemnation and wrath for everyone who rejects His only begotten and unique Son
Jesus.[199]
VII.
Best of Judaism and Worst of Judaism
The Gospel of
John has often been called by biblical scholars a story of contrasts. John
liked to use contrasts as his literary devices in his Gospel, such as life versus
condemnation, light versus darkness, and good versus evil.[200]
In chapter 3, Jesus presented Himself to the best of Judaism as represented
by Nicodemus, a Pharisee.[201]
Then in chapter 4, John presented Himself to the worse of Judaism when Jesus met
a Samaritan woman with severe relational problems. This Samaritan woman in
chapter 4 had been married five times, and she was living in an adulterous
relationship with another man.[202] Unlike
Nicodemus, this Samaritan woman was a mixed-race Jewish female while Nicodemus
was a ruling and prominent Pharisaic male.[203] Thus, John presented two individuals with
significant contrasts in Judaism.[204]
Jesus’ meeting with the Samaritan woman probably had some of the same
tension as His meeting with Nicodemus, although this meeting occurred during
daylight.[205] In first-century
Palestine, conversations between Jesus, who is a Jewish religious leader, and a
Samaritan woman, who is a woman and an adulterer, were forbidden and taboo.[206] Moreover,
Samaritans religion closely resembled Judaism, but on key issues, Samaritans
had gone their own way. The Samaritans only accepted the first five books of the
Old Testament and insisted that Mount Gerizim, not Jerusalem, was the proper
place to worship God.[207]
Although Jews and Samaritans usually avoided each other, Jesus reached across
these barriers of gender and religion.[208]
As a Pharisaic Jew, Nicodemus represented legalism and self-effort to
enter the Kingdom. Nicodemus stands as a representative of the old
religion.[209]
Many Jewish people of the first-century believed
they could be reconciled with God by doing good works and obeying the Law.[210]
Nicodemus was like most Jews of Jesus’ day and professed that the way to enter
heaven is by faith and trusting God’s goodness like Abraham.[211] Theoretically,
Nicodemus and other Pharisees did not believe one gained God’s love by keeping
the Law.[212] The discrepancy came
with what Nicodemus and other Jews believed and what they did. Nicodemus and
other Jews believed people must do good works and good deeds to enter God’s
Kingdom.[213] In their daily living, Nicodemus
believed that self-effort and obedience to the Law was the way to be acceptable
to God and entrance into His Kingdom.[214] Nicodemus
represented self-effort and legalism to enter God’s Kingdom. Like so many
others then and today, Nicodemus believed one could stand before God because of
one’s self-efforts and personal goodness like keeping the written Law, giving
donations to the poor, ritual washing, fasting, and other good works.[215]
However, Jesus taught Nicodemus that being born is passive and required
no self-effort on one’s part.[216] In
His teaching with Nicodemus, Jesus said one must give up and be born again or
born from above is the only way one can see God and enter God’s Kingdom.[217] John
used Nicodemus’s private discussion with Jesus to show that devout regard for
the Law nor a reviewed presentation of Judaism is required to enter God’s
Kingdom, but a radical rebirth from above through faith in Jesus alone.[218]
John stressed this demand from Jesus three times in verses 3, 5, and 7.[219] In
chapter 3, John does away with the Law's works every bit as thoroughly as
anything in the Pauline letters.[220]
However, Jesus’ statement was offensive. Like most church members
today, the Pharisees of the first century talked about salvation by God’s grace
but practiced salvation by their goodness. Even today, many Christians struggle
with this passive nature to enter God’s Kingdom. Jesus repeatedly taught during
His public ministry that one comes into God’s Kingdom because of their total dependence
and trust in God and His grace and belief in Him and not our
self-effort, goodness, and righteousness our goodness nor self-efforts.[221]
The Kingdom of God is a pure gift from God, and the only appropriate response
to God’s gift is thanksgiving and not self-effort.[222]
In contrast to Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman received Jesus’ perfect
balance of grace, mercy, and forgiveness of her many sins, but she also
accepted Jesus’s truth of her relational many divorces and adultery.[223] John
revealed the Samaritan woman in chapter 4 bearing witness and telling others
about Jesus.[224] Many accepted the
Samaritan woman’s testimony and believed that Jesus is the Savior of the world.[225]
The Holy Scriptures are clear that no one can neither make nor save ourselves.
God does both the making and saving. The living LORD God created each of us by
Christ Jesus to join Him in the work He does, the good work He has gotten ready
for us to do and work we had better be doing.[226] The
living LORD God’s free gift of life and salvation offered to everyone also
requires us to turn away from ungodly living and sinful pleasures and turn to
God, live good, God-fearing lives day after day and to do kind deeds for others.[227] We
are called to live by the truth and shine the light for God’s glory in the
world and depart from the evil deeds of darkness.[228]
In conclusion, Jesus’ nighttime meeting with Nicodemus
provided not only Nicodemus and his Pharisaical associates teaching on the new
birth and the Kingdom but also the church today. Our entrance into God’s
Kingdom and receiving the Holy Spirit of God come by grace through faith in
God’s only begotten Son Jesus. Through our faith and obedience to Jesus, we can
enter the heavenly Kingdom of our King Jesus.
References
Apologetics Study
Bible: Understanding Why You Believe
(Nashville, TN: Holman
Bible Publishers, 2012).
ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton,
IL: Crossway Bibles,
2008).
Life Application Study Bible (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House,
1971).
New Student Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,
1992).
NLT Study Bible (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House
Pub., 2008).
Ryrie Study Bible
(Chicago, IL: Moody, 1995).
The Living Bible
Paraphrase (Tyndale House,
1971).
Zondervan NIV
Study Bible (Grand Rapids,
MI: Zondervan, 2008).
Douglas, J.D. and Tenney, Merrill. NIV
Compact Dictionary of the Bible
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1989).
Morris, Leon. The Gospel According
to John, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids, MI:
Eerdmans, 1995).
Dr.
Loyd Melton, Ph.D., Senior Professor of the New Testament (Due West, SC:
Erskine
Theological Seminary, Summer 2020).
Wiersbe, Warren
W. Bible Exposition Commentary – New
Testament
(Victor Books,
1989).
[1]
E.g., see John 10:10; John 20:30-31.
[2]
Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to John, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids, MI:
Eerdmans, 1995), p. 184.
[3]
John 13:23-25; John 21:7, 20, 24.
[4]
ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles,
2008).
[5]
E.g., see John 1:14; John 13:23-24; John 18:15-16; John 19:26, 35; John 21:20,
24-25.
[6]
E.g., see John 2:11; John 15:27; John 19:35; John 20:30-31; John 21:24-25; 1
John 1:1-3.
[7]
E.g., see John 1:38, 41-42, 44, 46; John 5:1-2; John 7:37-39; John 9:7; John
18:28; John 19:13, 17; John 20:16.
[8]
E.g., see John 2:6, 11, 23; John 13:26; John 21:8, 11; 1 John 1:1-3.
[9]
E.g., see Matthew 17:1; Matthew 26:37; Mark 5:37; Mark 13:3; Luke 8:51; John
13:23-24; John 20:2-9.
[10]
Morris, p. 16.
[12]
Dr. Loyd Melton, Ph.D., Senior Professor of the New Testament (Due West, SC:
Erskine Theological Seminary, Summer 2020).
[13]
Ibid.
[15]
Ibid.
[16]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[17]
ESV Study Bible.
[18]
John 20:30-31.
[19]
ESV Study Bible.
[20]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[21]
Ibid.
[22]
E.g., see John 1:38, 41-42, 44, 46; John 5:1-2; John 7:37-39; John 9:7; John
18:28; John 19:13, 17; John 20:16.
[23]
John 1:14; see also ESV Study Bible.
[24]
New Student Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992).
[25]
Ibid.
[26]
John 1:14, 18; see also Hebrews 1:1-3.
[27]
E.g., see John 6:33, 35, 48, 51; John 7:1-2.
[28]
ESV Study Bible.
[29]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[30]
See John 2:19-21; John 4:21-24.
[31]
E.g., see John 1:1-5, 14, 18; John 5:17-18; John 8:58-59; John 10:30, 38; John
20:28.
[32]
E.g., see John 1:18; John 14:9-10.
[34]
E.g., see John 1:41, 49; John 4:25; John 6:15.
[35]
E.g., see John 18:33, 36-37, 39; John 19:3, 14, 19, 21.
[36]
E.g., see Matthew 5:17-20.
[37]
E.g., see John 1:29, 36; John 2:21-22; John 4:23-24; John 8:12; John 9:5; John
19:14.
[38]
E.g., see John 6:35; John 8:12, 24, 28, 58; John 9:5; John 10:7, 9, 11, 14;
John 11:25; John 13:19; John 14:6, 9-12; John 15:1, 5.
[39]
Significantly, “seven” is a good Jewish number that represents completion or
perfection. Moreover, “seven” symbolizes God. John also uses “seven” in the
book of Revelation, the other book he wrote.
[40]
E.g., see John 2:23; John 21:25. Jesus performed many miraculous signs and
healing the sick during His public ministry on earth (e.g., see Matthew
4:23-25; Luke 6:17-19: John 3:2; John 6:1-2, 14-15; John 21:25; John 20:30).
Despite His many miraculous signs, not everyone believed and accepted Jesus as
God (e.g., see 6:36, 64, 66; John 7:5).
[41]
E.g., see John 2:11, 23; John 17:4; John 20:30-31.
[42]
Biblical scholars refer to Matthew, Mark, and Luke as the Synoptic Gospels. The
Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell essentially the same storyline of Jesus
that begins with Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee and ends with Jesus’ Passion
story in Jerusalem. However, John’s Gospel does not follow the same storyline
as the Synoptic Gospels. Instead, John’s Gospel supplements Jesus’ public
ministry in Galilee with Jesus’ many activities in Jerusalem and Jesus’
attendance of several Jewish festivals.
[43]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[44]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[45]
E.g., see John 11:53.
[46]
E.g., see John 6:36, 64, 66; John 7:5; John 12:37-38; see also Isaiah 53:3.
[47]
John 1:12-13; see also John 1:1-5, 14, 18, 34, 41, 49, 51; John 20:30-31; Galatians
3:26-29; 1 John 5:1, 13.
[48]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[49]
Wiersbe, Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary – New Testament (Victor
Books, 1989).
[50]
John 2:23-25.
[51]
John 2:23; e.g., see John 2:11; John 7:31; John 10:41; John 11:45; John 12:42.
[52]
Morris, p. 186; Wiersbe, Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary – New
Testament (Victor Books, 1989).
[53]
Morris, p. 186.
[54]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[55]
Apologetics Study Bible: Understanding Why You Believe (Nashville, TN:
Holman Bible Publishers, 2012).
[56]
Ibid.
[57]
John 3:1, 10.
[58]
NLT Study Bible (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 2008).
[59]
John 7:47-52.
[60]
John 19:38-42.
[61]
NLT Study Bible.
[62]
John 3:1; John 7:50-51; see also e.g., John 7:32, 45; John 11:53, 57.
[63]
Mark 7:3, 5, 8-9, 13. Some people have taken the belief that all Pharisees
hated and rejected Jesus and His public ministry. However, the New Testament
reveals that many Jews, including Pharisees, accepted Jesus and followed His
teaching (e.g., see John 1:6-8, 35-38, 40-45; John 7:30-31; John 9:28; John
11:45; John 12:11, 42; John 19:38; Acts 15:5). The most notably Pharisee of the
New Testament that accepted Jesus was the Apostle Paul (see Acts 23:6; Acts
26:5; Philippians 3:5-6). The Apostle Paul never rejected his Pharisaical
background (e.g., see Acts 21:26). Like many other Jews, the Apostle Paul
believed and accepted Jesus as his promised Messiah and King (e.g., see Acts
15:5, 25-26; Acts 18:5; Acts 21:20; Acts 22:3; Acts 26:6-9; Philippians
3:7-11). In particular, the Apostle Paul had one message for Jews and Gentiles
(non-Jews) alike — the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God and
having faith in the Lord Jesus (e.g., see Acts 20:21, 24; Acts 24:24; Acts
26:18-20).
[64]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[65]
Morris, p. 186.
[66]
John 3:2.
[67]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[68]
Ibid.
[69]
New Student Bible.
[70]
Ibid.
[71]
Ryrie Study Bible (Chicago, IL: Moody, 1995).
[72]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[73]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[74]
E.g., see John 12: 10-11, 42; John 19:38; see also Luke 8:40-41, 49.
[75]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[76]
E.g., see John 7:12-13; John 9:22; John 12:43; John 19:38; see also Matthew
10:32-33.
[77]
John 3:2; see also John 1:38, 49.
[78]
John 3:2.
[79]
John 3:2; see also Acts 2:22.
[80]
John 3:2; see also Matthew 4:23-25; John 2:11; John 5:36; John 10:38; John
14:10-11; Acts 10:38.
[81]
John 3:2, 7; see also Bible Exposition Commentary – New Testament.
[82]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[83]
E.g., see Mark 4:38; Mark 10:51; John 1:49; John 3:1-2; John 4:31; John 6:25;
John 9:2; John 11:8; John 20:16.
[84]
E.g., see Mark 1:21-22; Mark 6:1-2; Luke 4:22; Luke 5:1; John 1:1-3; John 7:15;
1 John 5:20.
[85]
John 11:2, 28; John 13:13; see also Matthew 26:18; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1
Corinthians 12:3; Philippians 2:11.
[86]
E.g., see Matthew 28:18; Acts 10:36.
[87]
John 2:11; e.g., see also John 1:14; John 11:4, 40; John 20:30-31; John 21:25.
[88]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[89]
Ibid.
[90]
John 2:23; John 3:2; see also Mark 6:2.
[91]
NLT Study Bible.
[92]
(1) changing water to wine (John 2:1-11); (2) healing the royal official’s son
(John 4:46-54); (3) healing a paralyzed man (John 5:1-15); (4) feeding the
5,000 (John 6:1-15); (5) walking on water (John 6:16-21); (6) healing a blind
man (John 9:1-41); and (7) raising Lazarus from complete death (John 11:1-44).
[93]
NLT Study Bible.
[94]
John 6:35, 51.
[95]
E.g. see Matthew 3:16-17, Matthew 12:18; John 1:32-34; John 3:34-36.
[96]
John 7:29; John 8:29; e.g., see also Matthew 4:23-25; Luke 4:18-19; Luke
6:17-19; Acts 10:38.
[97]
E.g., see John 10:30, 38; John 14:9-11, 20-21; John 17:21.
[98]
E.g., see Luke 24:19; Acts 2:22.
[99]
Morris, p. 188.
[100]
Ibid.
[101]
John 3:3; see also John 1:13; John 3:7, 31, 36.
[102]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[103]
The Apologetics Study Bible: Understanding Why You Believe. However, our Lord Jesus habitually spoke
Aramaic and occasionally Greek, and He could read and speak Hebrew. Douglas,
J.D. and Tenney, Merrill. NIV Compact Dictionary of the Bible (Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1989).
[104]
The Apologetics Study Bible: Understanding Why You Believe.
[105]
NLT Study Bible.
[106]
E.g., see 2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:23.
[107]
John 1:12-13; John 3:3, 7, 31; see also Morris, p. 189.
[108]
NLT Study Bible.
[109]
John 3:4.
[110]
John 3:5. The Greek word pneuma can mean wind, spirit, breathe, or
Spirit, each of which occurs in this context.
[111]
Morris, pp. 190-192.
[112]
E.g., see Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16.
[113]
E.g., see Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Romans 10:12-13.
[114]
Ryrie Study Bible.
[115]
Ibid.
[116]
Morris, p. 193.
[117]
E.g., see Acts 4:10-12; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:21-24; 1 Thessalonians 5:9.
[118]
E.g., see John 1:51; John 3:13; John 14:6.
[119]
John 3:6; see also 1 Corinthians 15:50.
[120]
John 3:6, 8; see also Genesis 2:7; Psalm 104:29-30; Ezekiel 37:5-6, 14; John
6:63.
[121]
John 3:12-13; see also John 1:1, 4, 14, 18; 1 Corinthians 15:45; 2 Corinthians
3:6.
[122]
John 1:33; John 3:16-18; see also Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; Acts 1:5;
Acts 11:16-17; Acts 19:4-6.
[123]
E.g., see John 1:4; John 5:21; John 6:33, 39-40, 54, 57; John 10:10; John 14:6;
Romans 8:2, 10; 1 Corinthians 15:45.
[124]
John 3:7. The Greek for “you” in John 3:7 is plural.
[125]
John 1:13; see also John 3:3-8, 15, 36; Acts 22:16; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John
5:1, 5, 10.
[126]
E.g., see John 1:12-13; Romans 1:16-17; James 1:18; 1 John 2:29; 1 John 3:9; 1
John 4:7.
[127]
John 1:7, 12; see also Luke 8:21; John 3:15; Ephesians 1:5; Colossians 2:6-7; 1
Peter 1:3, 23; 1 John 3:23-24; 1 John 5:11-13.
[128]
E.g., see John 1:12-13; John 3:3-8; John 14:15-16, 21-23; Acts 5:32; Titus 3:5;
1 John 4:15-16.
[129]
E.g., see Psalm 51:1-2, 7, 10-11; Ezekiel 11:19-20; Ezekiel 36:25-27; Acts
2:38; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 4:22-24.
[130]
NLT Study Bible.
[131]
E.g., see John 8:31-32; John 14:15, 21, 23; John 15:1-17; Colossians 2:6-7; 1
John 2:3-5; 1 John 5:3, 10.
[132]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[133]
Ibid.
[134]
E.g., see Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 17:20-21.
[135]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[136]
E.g., see Ezra 1:1-4.
[137]
E.g., see John 7:37-39; John 14:15-16, 21-22; 26; John 15:10, 26; John 16:7;
Acts 1:4-5; Acts 2:32-33; Acts 10:45; Galatians 3:14.
[138]
Colossians 3:1-4. Such biblical scholars as George Eldon Ladd taught that the
Kingdom of God is present here now, but the fullness of the Kingdom of God will
be realized at the end of the age. To learn more about the Kingdom of God’s
present and future reality, read The Presence of the Future by George
Eldon Ladd.
[139]
John 3:8; see also Ecclesiastes 11:5; Ezekiel 37:5, 9-10.
[140]
E.g., see Daniel 7:2; Ryrie Study Bible.
[141]
John 3:8; see also 1 Corinthians 12:11.
[142]
For more on the Holy Spirit and His works, read John chapters 14 through 16;
Romans 8.
[143]
John 3:1, 9-10.
[144]
E.g., see Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:25-27. At Pentecost, God poured out His
Spirit on all believers of His Son Jesus as Jesus promised (Acts 1:4-5; Acts
2:1-4, 17-21, 33; Acts 1:4-5; Acts 10:45; see also John 14:16, 26; John 15:26;
John 16:7; Galatians 3:14).
[145]
See John 3:11-12, 32.
[146]
John 3:11.
[147]
E.g., see John 1:18, 51; John 7:16; John 8:28; John 12:49; John 14:24
[148]
John 3:13, 31; see also John 1:14; John 8:23; John 6:38, 42, 62; 1 Corinthians
15:47.
[149]
John 3:14-18.
[150]
John 3:13, 31; John 20:17; see also Deuteronomy 30:12; Ephesians 4:8-10.
[151]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[152]
John 3:13; see also John 8:23.
[153]
John 6:38, 42, 62; see also 1 Corinthians 15:47.
[154]
Hebrews 4:14-15.
[155]
Hebrews 9:24.
[156]
Hebrews 4:16; see also Ephesians 3:12.
[157]
John 1:14, 16-17.
[158]
John 3:14-15; see also Numbers 21:5-9; John 10:10; John 12:32.
[159]
John 3:15-16, 36; John 5:24; John 6:40, 47, 54; John 11:25-26; John 15:4-5; John
16:33; John 20:31; 1 John 5:12-13, 20; see also Acts 16:31.
[160]
John 3:18, 36; see also Mark 16:16.
[161]
Morris, p. 199.
[162]
In typical Israelite fashion, the people corrupted the uplifted bronze snake's
meaning from Numbers 21:8-9 by keeping the bronze snake as an idol to worship.
Centuries later, King Hezekiah destroyed this worship image (see 2 Kings 18:4).
New Student Bible.
[163]
Ibid.
[164]
John 12:20, 32-33; see also Acts 2:33.
[165]
John 12:23-24; see also John 6:57; Romans 14:9.
[166]
John 12:12-18; see also Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-44.
[167]
E.g., see John 18:33, 36-37, 39; John 19:3, 14, 19, 21.
[168]
John 12:13,
[169]
John 12:23.
[170]
John 12:32; see also John 1:29, 36.
[171]
Morris, p. 200.
[172]
John 19:19.
[173]
John 1:18; John 3:16-17; John 10:10; see also Romans 5:8.
[174]
John 1:29; 1 John 4:9-10; 1 John 5:11.
[175]
Morris, p. 203; see also Matthew 5:45.
[176]
John 3:15, 36; John 6:25, 40; John 10:10, 28; John 11:25; John 14:6; John
19:35; John 20:30-31; see also Colossians 3:3.
[177]
John 6:29.
[178]
E.g., see John 1:4, 51; John 11:25; John 14:6; 1 John 1:1-2; 1 John 5:11, 20.
[179]
John 1:12-13, 29, 36.
[180]
E.g., see John 5:26; Acts 17:25.
[181]
E.g., see John 1:4; John 5:36-40; John 10:9-10; John 11:25; John 14:6; John
20:30-31; Acts 3:15; Acts 4:12; Acts 5:31
[182]
John 1:33; John 7:39; John 20:21-22.
[183]
See John 3:13-14.
[185]
Daniel 7:9-14; see also Mark 8:38; Mark 13:26; Mark 14:61-62.
[186]
Ibid.
[187]
John 10:11, 15, 17; see also Isaiah 53:10; Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; John
15:13; 1 John 3:16.
[188]
E.g., see Romans 4:25.
[189]
John 10:10; see also Jeremiah 23:1; Ezekiel 34:1-10.
[190]
John 1:4; John 3:15-16; John 5:40; John 6:35, 47-48; John 10:10; John 11:25;
John 20:31; see also Romans 5:17.
[191]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[192]
Morris, p. 201.
[193]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[194]
John 3:17; John 12:47; see also 1 Corinthians 15:45.
[195]
John 3:18.
[196]
John 3:18, 36; see also Matthew 25:31-46.
[197]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[198]
Morris, p. 205.
[199]
Some religions do not believe that Jesus is the unique Son of God. However, the
Holy Scriptures declare that Jesus is the only begotten and unique Son of the
true and living LORD God of heaven and earth. Not only did God proclaim Jesus to
be His Son at His baptism (e.g., see Matthew 17:5; Luke 3:23), but also God proved
Jesus’ unique Sonship by raising Jesus from the dead (see Romans 1:4).
[200]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[201]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[202]
John 4:16-18.
[203]
John 3:1, 10.
[205]
John 4:4-6; see also New Student Bible.
[206]
John 4:9; see also New Student Bible.
[207]
John 4:19-20; see also New Student Bible.
[208]
Ephesians 2:14; Galatians 3:28; see also New Student Bible.
[209]
Morris, p. 186.
[210]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[211]
Genesis 15:6; see also Romans 4:3, 9, 22; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23.
[212]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[213]
Ibid.
[214]
Morris, p. 185.
[215]
Ibid.
[216]
Ibid.
[217]
Morris, pp. 188-189.
[218]
Ibid.
[219]
Ibid.
[220]
Morris, p. 186.
[221]
Matthew 18:1-6; Matthew 19:14; Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17; see also Ephesians 2:5,
8-9.
[222]
Melton, Summer 2020.
[223]
John 4:16; see also John 1:14, 16-17.
[224]
John 4:39.
[225]
John 4:28-29, 40-42.
[226]
Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 4:1-6.
[227]
Titus 2:11-14; Titus 3:1, 8, 14; 1 Peter 2:12, 15.
[228]
Matthew 5:16; John 3:19-21; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Philippians 2:15.
[1]
Or born from above; also, in verse 7.
[2]
Or but spirit.
[3]
The Greek is plural.
[4]
Some manuscripts Man, who is in heaven.
[5]
Believes may have eternal life in Him.
